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The Mental Health & Social Care Current Awareness Bulletin is produced at
Essex Public Health Resource Unit Library

on behalf of the
East of England Health Libraries Group: EoEHLG

Click on headings to navigate to your chosen subject

The bulletin is
also available R
C Reesseeaarrcchh
online at the Coonntteenntt
sites below
Addictions
Department of Health
Anxiety
EoEHLG
WEBSITE National News Dementia

International News Depression

EPHRU Dual Diagnosis

WEBSITE
Eating Disorders

Learning Disabilities
TIN
WEBSITE FFuurrtthheerr C
Coonntteenntt O/C Disorders

Occupational Therapy
New Publications
EPHRU Post Traumatic Stress
Mental Conferences
Health Blog Psychology
Useful Websites
Schizophrenia
MENTAL HEALTH
BLOG Journal TOCs Social Work
Minding Matters

For further information on the bulletin contact:

mary.edmans@midessexpct.nhs.uk

EoEHLG/MHCA/No.278/13.12.10 1
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News from all corners of
the world

Department of Health

Valuing People Now Summary Report March 2009 - September 2010

back to CONTENTS LINKS

National News

Centre for Mental Health welcomes call for more investment in children's 'Foundation
Years'
"Improving the mental health and life chances of children in their first five years should be a
major priority for government,"

Drugs advice body needs scientists, say campaigners

Campaigners have criticised government plans to remove the legal requirement for scientists to
be on the Advisory Council for the Misuse of Drugs

Dementia nursing care needs overhaul, says King's Fund

Nursing care for people with dementia is in need of a radical overhaul, a leading think tank has
warned

Closure threat to 'unique' NHS hospital for families

A London hospital which provides a unique in-patient service for families with severe mental
health problems is under threat of closure

Learning disabled placed in care homes for older people

Learning disabled adults in Scotland are facing decades of "benign neglect" in older people's
care homes where their needs are going unmet

Office of Fair Trading launches mental capacity guidance consultation

The OFT has today launched a consultation on its draft guidance for creditors on mental
capacity

End addiction, new government drugs strategy urges

Drug addicts should completely end their addictions rather than just cut their use, the
government's new strategy states

Eating disorders charity hosts annual awards

People who have helped others overcome eating disorders were honoured at an awards
ceremony, attended by Miss England Jessica Linley and Minister for Civil Society Nick Hurd

EoEHLG/MHCA/No.278/13.12.10 2
 Social work degree should include training on drug and alcohol misuse, social care poll
shows
Training on drug, alcohol and substance misuse must be included in the social work degree and
not left until post-qualifying courses, the latest poll from the General Social Care Council has
concluded

Does dirt make us happier?

“A rise in depression among young people may be due to the modern world being too clean,”
reported The Daily Telegraph

Centre for Mental Health welcomes justice green paper and calls for investment in
effective diversion services
"The Government's pledge to divert more people with mental health difficulties from the courts
and police stations is a welcome step that could improve the health of many of the most
vulnerable people in our society, make communities safer and save public money,”

Stabbed social worker had no warning of death threat

Mental health agencies failed to tell a social worker that a mental health patient had threatened
to kill her shortly before he attacked her with a knife, a report has found

Charities sound alarm over rise in homelessness

The government has admitted that a long-term fall in homelessness could be at an end after
releasing figures showing that rates had risen in two consecutive quarters for the first time since
2003

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International News

Depression Treatment Rates Increase Over Past Decade, But Psychotherapy Declines
US: The rate of depression treatment increased between 1998 and 2007 but at a slower rate
than during the previous decade, and the percentage of patients treated with psychotherapy
continued to decline

New Research Into Targeted Treatment Of Alzheimer's

Pankaj Karande, a Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute assistant professor of chemical and
biological engineering, is among a new generation of scientists and engineers developing
exciting and novel new techniques to treat some of the most complex brain illnesses, including
Alzheimer's disease

Mental Health Research To Be Speeded Up, Streamlined By National Network Based In

10 Health Systems
NIMH has awarded approximately $10.5 million over three years to a multi-site team led by
Gregory E. Simon, MD, MPH, at Group Health Research Institute

back to CONTENTS LINKS

EoEHLG/MHCA/No.278/13.12.10 3
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Family Acceptance Of LGBT Youth Protects Against Depression, Substance Abuse,

Suicide
For the first time, researchers have established a clear link between accepting family attitudes
and behaviors towards their lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) children and
significantly decreased risk and better overall health in adulthood

Secondhand smoke tied to kids' poor mental health

Kids who breathe secondhand smoke are more likely to struggle with mental health problems,
suggests a large new study of British children

Addictions
Substance abuse, alcoholism,

Temporal stability of personality traits and disorders within substance dependent

patients
This study evaluated the temporal stability of personality disorders and traits as assessed by the
Schedule for Nonadaptive and Adaptive Personality within a sample being treated for substance
dependence in a residential TC

Sex differences amongst dependent heroin users: Histories, clinical characteristics and
predictors of other substance dependence
The study examines differences in the characteristics and histories of male and female
dependent heroin users, and in the clinical characteristics associated with multiple substance
dependence diagnoses

DocGuide TopAbstracts in Addictions

Anxiety Disorders

DocGuide TopAbstracts in Anxiety

Does symptom reduction after cognitive behavioural therapy of anxiety disordered

patients predict personality change?
For decades, personality was thought to be a set of stable characteristics. However, in the
dimensional approach, personality traits are considered to vary on a continuum

The Latent Structure of Social Anxiety Disorder: Consequences of Shifting to a

Dimensional Diagnosis
Despite longstanding debate over the nature of the boundary between social anxiety disorder
and less severe social anxiety, no study has tested directly whether the defining features of the
disorder correspond to a latent category or dimension

Familial risk factors in social anxiety disorder: calling for a family-oriented approach for

EoEHLG/MHCA/No.278/13.12.10 4
 targeted prevention and early intervention
Within the last decade, social anxiety disorder has been identified as a highly prevalent and
burdensome disorder

Dementia
Alzheimer’s

See Off Alzheimer's With The Colour Purple

Eating purple fruits such as blueberries and drinking green tea can help ward off diseases
including Alzheimer's, Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson's

The effectiveness of the Talking Mats framework in helping people with dementia to
express their views on well-being
Deteriorating communication is one of the most distressing aspects of dementia and it becomes
increasingly difficult to ensure that the person’s views are heard

DocGuide TopAbstracts in Aizheimer’s

Slow protein clearance 'clue to Alzheimer's'

Scientists suggest people with Alzheimer's disease clear a damaging protein from their brains
more slowly than those who are healthy

Depression
Bipolar disorders

Depression Screening Urged for Young Women With Menopause-Like Symptoms

Study reveals a doubling of risk with primary ovarian insufficiency

Hard-To-Treat Depression Unlikely To Be Unrecognized Bipolar Disorder

Patients with depression who report psychotic-like symptoms tend to be those who are less
likely to respond well to treatment, rather than having unrecognized bipolar disorder

A New Method For Classifying Depression In Relation To Response To Treatment

It is unlikely that different types of depression (primary versus secondary, diverse baseline
scores on HAM-D) can be combined to one single disease called Major Depression

12-Fold Increase Of Suicide Risk In People With Severe Mental Illness

People with psychotic disorders, such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, are 12 times more
likely to commit suicide than average

Women with bipolar I disorder have increased levels of sexual interest

Women with bipolar I disorder have higher levels of sexual interest than those with bipolar II
disorder and mentally healthy women

DocGuide TopAbstracts in Depression

Certain Formulations of Omega-3s Might Help With Depression

A DHA-EPA combo seemed to work, but should never be a patient's only option, experts said

EoEHLG/MHCA/No.278/13.12.10 5
 Mindfulness Meditation On A Par With Antidepressants At Preventing Depression
Relapse
In preventing depression relapse, a course of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy using
meditation was found to be as effective as traditional antidepressant medication when tested
against placebo

Are Depressed People Too Clean?

In an effort to pinpoint potential triggers leading to inflammatory responses that eventually
contribute to depression, researchers are taking a close look at the immune system of people
living in today's cleaner modern society

DRD2 gene variant linked to mood disorders

Results from a systematic review and meta-analysis confirm an association between a variant
of the dopamine D2 receptor gene (DRD2) and an increased risk for mood disorders

Depression Tied to Decreased Gestational Age, Birth Weight

Pregnant women with depressive symptoms may give birth earlier and to lower-birth-weight
offspring than those without depressive symptoms

Bipolar patients at increased risk for gout

Individuals with bipolar disorder are at greater risk for developing gout than those without the
mood disorder

Dual Diagnosis

Housing Preferences Among Adults with Dual Diagnoses in Different Stages of

Treatment and Housing Types
Housing is an essential component of psychiatric rehabilitation, particularly for consumers with
dual diagnoses

New clinical strategies of assessment of comorbidity associated with substance use

disorders
The introduction of "dual diagnosis" had the merit of drawing attention on substance use among
patients with mental illness

Eating Disorders

Parents' Influence on Children's Eating Habits Is Limited

As primary caregivers, parents are often believed to have a strong influence on children's eating
behaviors

Validity studies of quality of life instruments for eating disorders: systematic review of
the literature
The study conducted a systematic review of studies that evaluated quality of life among
individuals with eating disorders, to analyze the characteristics of specific QOL instruments for
eating disorders

EoEHLG/MHCA/No.278/13.12.10 6
 Using common sense model in eating disorders
The aim of this study was to explore the relationships proposed in the Common Sense Model in
eating disorder patients

Learning Disabilities

Common Genetic Influences For ADHD And Reading Disability

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and developmental reading disability are complex
childhood disorders that frequently occur together

Autism Treatment: Researchers Identify Possible Treatment for Impaired Sociability

Researchers have identified a potential novel treatment strategy for the social impairment of
people with Autism Spectrum Disorders, an aspect of the condition that has a profound impact
on quality of life

Handwriting Remains a Problem in Autism

Children with autism spectrum disorder struggle with handwriting skills and are unlikely to
outgrow this difficulty as they move into their teen years

Obsessive Compulsive
Disorders

Decrease of Prefrontal Metabolism After Subthalamic Stimulation in Obsessive-

Compulsive Disorder: A Positron Emission Tomography Study
High-frequency bilateral subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation is a promising treatment in
refractory obsessive-compulsive disorder

Altered Function and Connectivity of the Medial Frontal Cortex in Pediatric Obsessive-
Compulsive Disorder
Exaggerated concern for correct performance has been linked to hyperactivity of the medial
frontal cortex in adult obsessive-compulsive disorder

Occupational Therapy

Participation when using cognitive assistive devices – from the perspective of people
with intellectual disabilities
The aim of the study was to describe how people with intellectual disabilities experienced their
participation in everyday activities when using cognitive assistive devices

The Effect of a motor-based, social skills intervention for adolescents with high-
functioning autism: two single-subject design cases
The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of a motor-based, social skills intervention for
two adolescents with high-functioning autism using single-subject design

EoEHLG/MHCA/No.278/13.12.10 7
 Post Traumatic
Stress Disorder

Treating PTSD and Smoking Together Best Way to Help Vets Kick Cigarettes
They were twice as likely to stop smoking as vets referred to cessation clinic, study finds

Comorbid Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury in the Military
Population
Wars exact a substantial toll from those who fight them. Throughout recent history, clinicians
have struggled to define the psychological and physical aspects of combat trauma

A Meta-Analytic Investigation of the Structure of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Symptoms
Converging lines of evidence have called into question the validity of conceptualizations of
posttraumatic stress disorder based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders

Conceptual and Perceptual Priming and Dissociation in Chronic Posttraumatic Stress

Disorder
Cognitive models of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) assert that memory processes play a
significant role in PTSD

Drug Prevents Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome, Study Suggests

Post-traumatic stress syndrome -- when a severely stressful event triggers exaggerated and
chronic fear -- affects nearly 8 million people in the United States and is hard to treat

Psychology

People in Jobs Traditionally Held by the Other Sex Are Judged More Harshly for Mistakes
In these modern times, people can have jobs that weren't traditionally associated with their
genders

Schizophrenia

Gene-Environment Interactions Could Influence Several Psychiatric Disorders

Male mice born with a genetic mutation that's believed to make humans more susceptible to
schizophrenia develop behaviors that mimic other major psychiatric illnesses when their
mothers are exposed to an assault to the immune system while pregnant

Long-term suicide risk remains elevated after first episode of psychosis

The long-term risk of suicide after a first episode of psychosis is unknown because previous
studies often have been based on prevalence cohorts, been biased to more severely ill

EoEHLG/MHCA/No.278/13.12.10 8
 hospitalized patients, extrapolated from a short follow-up time, and have made a distinction
between schizophrenia and other psychoses

Schizophrenia patients show altered delta wave patterns during sleep

Patients with schizophrenia show lower overall delta wave counts and altered delta wave
dominance in certain brain regions during all-night sleep compared with mentally healthy
individuals

DocGuide TopAbstracts in Schizophrenia

CACR improves general cognition in schizophrenia

Results from a systematic review and meta-analysis of published studies show that
schizophrenia patients who receive computer-assisted cognitive remediation (CACR) show
improvements in general cognition, particularly social cognition

Social Work

Mandatory Reporting and Child Exposure to Domestic Violence: Issues Regarding the
Therapeutic Alliance with Couples
Some child welfare legislation have recently expanded the definition of ‘a child in need of
protection’ to include child exposure to intimate partner violence

Psychoanalysis and Domestic Violence: Exploring the Application of Object Relations

Theory in Social Work Field Placement
Psychoanalytic theories are steadily falling out of favor within many American schools of social
work

back to CONTENTS LINKS

FFU
URRTTH
HEER
RCCO
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Books, Conferences,
Websites & Journal Tocs

NEW PUBLICATIONS
Books and reports hot of the press
Click the title to connect to the website entry

DRUG STRATEGY 2010: Reducing Demand, Restricting Supply, Building Recovery :

Supporting People to Live a Drug Free Life
Home Office

Supporting people with mental health conditions into paid employment:

a briefing for Work Programme providers
Centre for Mental Health

EoEHLG/MHCA/No.278/13.12.10 9
 Personalisation and mental capacity
SCIE

Seen and Heard: supporting vulnerable children in the youth justice system
Prison Reform Trust

The Wiley-blackwell Handbook of Childhood Cognitive Development: 2nd Revised

edition

Investigative and Forensic Interviewing: A Personality-focused Approach

Anxiety in Childbearing Women: Diagnosis and Treatment

Creating Children's Art Games for Emotional Support

Building a Therapeutic Relationship With The Suicidal Patient

A Treatment Manual for Adolescents Displaying Harmful Sexual Behaviour: Change for
Good

Therapy With Coerced and Reluctant Clients

Sadism and Masochism: The Psychopathology of Sexual Cruelty

Psychodynamic Psychotherapy: A Clinical Manual

Shyness and Embarrassment: Perspectives from Social Psychology

back to CONTENTS LINKS

CONFERENCES
Follow the link to a list, new conferences in green

CONFERENCES

WEBSITES
Follow the link below to a list of useful websites

USEFUL WEBSITES

JOURNAL TOC PAGES

New links in orange Follow the link below to a list of Journal TOC pages

JOURNAL TOCs

EoEHLG/MHCA/No.278/13.12.10 10
 back to CONTENTS LINKS

DISCLAIMER
And list of websites used Follow the link to Disclaimer
DISCLAIMER

EoEHLG/MHCA/No.278/13.12.10 11